NEWTON — The six candidates for Newton Town Council in Tuesday’s election got together with residents of Liberty Towers for about two hours Thursday to discuss issues of special interest to senior citizens.

Among the questions and comments were the request for at least one more bus on the town-only senior bus route, safety concerns when walking to shops and eateries on Spring Street and even the perception that Liberty Towers is other than an independent living facility.

The bus route drew much of the interest with seniors complaining of crowded buses and a single available bus that often turns a quick trip to the grocery store into a 21/2-hour

trek that doesn’t treat ice cream well.

“You deserve better than a milkshake when you get home,” said Anwar Qarmout, one of the candidates.

Helen LeFrois, another candidate and a former council member, said she would be sending an email to the town manager when she got home, asking for a survey of usage and possible additional routes.

Incumbent Sandra Diglio said that while the town is purchasing a new senior bus, there has been talk about keeping the current bus on the road.

Candidate Michael Tumminelli said the routes could be set up so a buses are available from staging areas to help out with peak ridership hours.

Also in the race are a second incumbent, Kevin Elvidge, and Wayne Levante, who ran unsuccessfully for council four years ago.

Three of the five council seats are up for election this year, each four a four-year term. Newton is the only town in Sussex County to keep its non-partisan election in the spring, every two years.

The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday with the winning candidates taking office on July 1.

The form of government also set off a history lesson from Elvidge when a questioner asked why Newton’s mayor isn’t elected by the voters.

New Jersey offers a wide variety of forms of government, and in the early 1950s, the two political parties put together a committee to determine the town’s form of government, which was then approved by the voters.

In Newton, the Town Council elects a mayor from among its members for a one-year term and traditionally, the position has rotated among council members.

The council also hires the town manager, who is the hiring authority for the town

and administers the town’s operations.

“In a community with a ‘strong mayor,’ the town seems to take on the personality of that mayor,” Elvidge said.

LeFrois said with Newton’s non-partisan government, “the council’s impact is day-to-day. Are the schools, the town, good? Is there police service there when you need it? That’s what’s important at this level.”

Levante raised a comment that the council’s choice every two years appears to give an incumbent running for election the office of mayor.

The current mayor is Joseph Ricciardo, who chose not to run for re-election.

The give-and-take also spent time dealing with development in town, especially the new townhouses off Sparta Avenue near Quick Chek and the proposal to build an age-restricted apartment complex on Spring Street, across from the Newton Theatre.

There was also discussion on the perception of safety in the streets and the real problem of drugs.

Diglio said four new businesses are now open or soon to open on Spring Street.

Qarmout said another issue is getting the absentee landlords “to care about their vacancies. We need to support the current businesses to get more businesses.”

When asked whether they support the proposed Special Improvement District, Qarmout was the only candidate against the idea, saying town residents needed less taxes, rather than more.

Diglio, who will have a vote when the ordinance goes before a public hearing at the May 28 council meeting, said she personally supports the SID, but wants to see what the public’s sentiment is at the public hearing.

She said several people she has talked with who own businesses within the district are in favor of the proposal, even though they will pay a special assessment to fund the corporation that will oversee the designated district.

Levante, who said he is opposed to bigger government, took a different tack on supporting the idea.

“People in the outlying areas (outside the district’s boundaries) are tired of their tax money going to help Spring Street and believe it has been wasted,” he said.

Tuminelli joked that “it took 30 years to change 42nd Street in New York. Luckily, we don’t have the problems they had.”

He said, “We’re on our own here. Trenton is not going to come to our rescue; the county won’t rescue us. We need to create a baseline now because we’re in a fight for survival; we’re in a fight against Hampton and Andover for those businesses.”

Also in support of the improvement district were LeFrois and Elvidge.

LeFrois said, “This is a chance for businesses to get together and help themselves. By each one putting in dollars, together they can do much more.”

Elvidge said, “This idea can’t be allowed to fail. This is going to force the businesses to work together. Like children, they don’t always make good decisions on their own, but they need to recognize that together they are the biggest asset they have.”